SCOTUS extends telephone arguments through January
The United States Supreme Court said last week it will continue to hear arguments by telephone through at least January because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Justices agree to hear hospital records breach suit, post-conviction appeal
A lawsuit against a hospital over a former employee who accessed confidential medical records without authorization will be heard by the Indiana Supreme Court.
Proposal would recognize Indian orders in state court
The history of Native American culture is rooted deep in the Hoosier State — after all, the name “Indiana” translates to “land of the Indians.” The Indiana General Assembly is considering taking another step to recognize that heritage through legislation that would uphold the validity of tribal court judgments.
Trump’s election lawsuits plagued by elementary errors
When President Donald Trump sends lawyers to court, it seems he’s not sending his best. His attorneys have repeatedly made elementary errors in those high-profile cases
Child porn convictions affirmed over evidence, double jeopardy arguments
An Indianapolis man’s conviction on six counts of possession of child pornography was affirmed Thursday when the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected his claims that the evidence was insufficient and that his convictions violated his constitutional protections against double jeopardy.
Federal inmate who killed Texas teenager set to be executed
The federal government prepared Thursday to execute an inmate at the federal prison in Terre Haute who was condemned for kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old Texas girl, bludgeoning her with a shovel and burying her alive.
Justices split 3-2 in rejecting landowner appeal over dam repairs
Residents of a Miami County lake community lost their bid to make their case to the Indiana Supreme Court that the county, not property owners, are responsible for fixing six crumbling dams.
A rusty Giuliani returns to the courtroom on Trump’s behalf
Representing a client inside a courtroom for the first time in nearly three decades, Rudy Giuliani showed some rust as he tried to make the case that President Donald Trump has been robbed of re-election.
Application deadline nears for city court judgeship in Marion
Qualified applicants interested in serving as city court judge in Marion have until Nov. 25 to make their interest known.
Southern District to halt trials, naturalizations due to COVID-19
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana announced Friday it is suspending jury trials and cancelling naturalization ceremonies in response to the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Indiana high court won’t hear appeal in girl’s crash death
Indiana’s high court won’t be taking up a woman’s appeal of her convictions in her 6-year-old daughter’s death in a 2017 highway crash.
Justice Alito: COVID restrictions ‘previously unimaginable’
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday sounded an alarm about restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying they shouldn’t become a “recurring feature after the pandemic has passed.”
Off-duty Kroger employee’s theft conviction for ‘mislaid’ money reversed
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed a ruling against an off-duty grocery store employee after he took money from a self-checkout machine, finding his conviction could not stand under an existing theft statute.
Few legal wins so far as Trump team hunts for proof of fraud
During a Pennsylvania court hearing this week on one of the many election lawsuits brought by President Donald Trump, a judge asked a campaign lawyer whether he had found any signs of fraud from among the 592 ballots challenged. The answer was no.
Indiana Southern District bankruptcy petition fees to increase
Filing fees for bankruptcy petitions in the Southern District of Indiana will increase in less than a month, the bankruptcy court has announced.
Justices hand down ‘more aggressive’ guidance on court COVID operations amid outbreaks
Court-related outbreaks of the novel coronavirus mean more aggressive approaches are needed for Indiana’s trial courts when it comes to in-person operations during the pandemic, according to a new order from the Indiana Supreme Court.
Indiana Northern District judge recuses herself from Portage mayor’s bribery retrial
A federal judge has recused herself from the bribery case of a former northwestern Indiana mayor only days after setting a date for his retrial in that case.
Immigration overload: Court backlog of 1.2 million cases sparks fears, frustration and calls for change
Immigration attorneys say the lengthening time between hearings and the growing delays are needlessly clogging the docket, causing backlogs to skyrocket and putting client due process at risk. Since fiscal year 2017, the number of pending cases nationwide has more than doubled from 629,051 to 1.26 million for fiscal year 2020.
SCOTUS case: Can census exclude undocumented immigrants?
More than one year after losing a bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, the Trump administration is headed back to the Supreme Court this month in another effort to draw a line around undocumented immigrants in the national population count.
7th Circuit affirms consecutive federal, state sentences for South Bend crimes
How should federal judges decide whether sentences in federal prosecutions should run consecutively to or concurrently with sentences in unrelated state prosecutions? The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals tackled that question in a Monday decision, affirming a man’s decades-long sentence for his part in a South Bend kidnapping.